Weighting and stiffening device



M. WALKER WEIGHIING AND SIIFFENING DEVICE Nov. 2, 1943.

Filed Dec. 7, 1942 Has FIG- 6 MATT WA LK E R v INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 2, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE V a 2,333,603 WEIGHTING AND STIFFENING DEVICE Matt Walker, Seattle, Wash. I I f Application December "1, 1942, Serial No. 468,124 3 Claims. (01. 2-132) This invention relates to improvements in 'a weighting and stiffening device and'more particularly pertains to a body having pin"fasten ing means and for functional uses in weighting and for stiffening fabrics.

There is a need for a device that is readily attachable to fabric structures to simultaneously weight and stiffen the same. One such use pertains to mens collars, with particular reference to the points of such collars which, unless stifliy starched or reinforced, unattractivelybend and curl in a manner to materially detract from an otherwise neat appearance. Many attempts have been made to provide anchors or stretching members for such purposes, but their use has been unsatisfactory, due to a rather unnaturally taut appearance that results. Other approaches to the problem have included the use of weights, detachable during laundering, which produce a fairly natural drape to the collar, but have elaborate fastening means that are bulky, diflicult to attach, or do not lend themselves well to quantity production. 7

An important object of my invention is the provision of a weighting and stiffening device, for use in connection with collars, that does not destroy the natural drape of the collar and yet assures that the collar points lie against the shirt front. s

Another object of the invention is to provide,

elaborate assembly steps, or requiring skill to use.

A further important object of my invention is the provision of a body having suspension means which is attached to the body formed by molding or casting operations and without the necessity of imbedding or otherwise rigidly securing the suspension elements together.

Another and further object of the invention is to provide, in an invention of the nature above set forth, of an anchoring pin for attachment to bodies, which pin can be formed and attached in a readly removable manner without requiring steps according to prior practices thought necessary.

The foregoing objects and others ancillary thereto I prefer to accomplish as follows:

According to a preferred form of my invention,

I provide a pin body that is shaped to receive a pin for attaching the body to a fabric or other sheetlike base. Specifically, the pin body is provided with grooves on each of two opposed faces,

each groove extending from theedge of the body to intermediate the area of one of the faces. One of the grooves has a socket formed in it for a purpose to be described. A clip of U-shape is provided with'an in'turned horn on one of the legs and a piercing pin on the other leg. The U- shaped clip is shaped of spring wire having a certain amount of tension to it. The legs of the clip are tensed to close toward each other. The leg with the horn on it is laid in the groove having the socket therein and the horn is inserted into the socket to'retain the leg properly positioned. The other leg lies in the opposed groove on the other face of the body and the pin thereon lies alongside the body'face and, by reason of the tension, a pointis pressed'toward said face. Since the two legs are pressed together, the horn ispressed at all times into the socket and the pin is similarly urged toward the body. In use the pin is inserted into a fabric, for example, so that the fabric lies between the pin and the body and the tension on the pin holds the body securely positioned on the fabric.

The novel features that I consider characteristic of my invention are set forth with particu larity in the appended claims. I The invention it self, however, both as to its organization and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood from the following description of a specific embodiment when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, inwhich Figure 1 is a rear view in perspective of my pin,

Figure 2 is a front view in perspective of my P Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view through the body of my pin,

Figures 4, 5 and 6 are cross-sectional views taken on lines 4-4, 55 and 6-45 of Figures 1 and 2,

Figure 7 is an elevational view of the clip used in connection with my pin, and

Figure 8 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 8-8 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawing, the body ID of my Clip 20 has a U-bent portion 2| from which extends the opposed legs 22 and 23. Leg 22, shown here to be slightly longer than leg 23, has a horn 24 that is inturned toward the other leg. Slightly ofi-set from leg 23 is the pin 25 that is pointed. The clip 20, being preferably formed of spring wire, is tensed so that the legs are normally urged toward each other.

The clip is assembled on the body so that the leg 22 lies in groove with the horn 24 seated in socket 15. Similarly, leg 23 lies in groove Hi with the intermediate U-bend 2| resting in the notch H. In this position the pin portion 25 from its ofiset joinder with leg 23 converges with face I I of the body where it is under constant pressure due to the urgence of its spring. The-tip of pin 25 is slightly upturned at the point to facilitate the entry of the pin into a fabric. The'resilience of the clip maintains the horn seated in the socket l5 while the sides of the notch 11, which receives the U-bend portion, prevent twisting of the clip with respect to body. 1

One important construction of my invention is a body formed of a plastics base by injection molding according to theconventional practices. By this practice the grooves l4 and IS, the socket l5, and the notch 11 are all sharply and clearly defined in the opposed faces of the body so that when the elements of the clip,are brought into couple therewith, the clip fits tightly, is securely retained and is held in properposition at all times.

One use of the pin of this invention is as a weight and. stiffener for collar points, in which case the point of pin 25 is inserted through the rear or under layer of a collar to bring face ll against the exposed face of that collar layer. Usually the pin is inserted from th top down so that the pointed end 30 of the body lies behind the usual point of the collar. In this position the collar tip is drawn toward face H and is stiffened and also weighted to present a neat" and orderly draped appearance.

It will be obvious that the present pin is useful for other purposes where weight is desired or where a stiffening effect is wanted, such as in weighting curtains or similar sheet material.

Although I have shown and described certain specific embodiments of my invention, I am fully aware that many modifications thereof are possible. My invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except insofar as is necessitated by the prior art and by the spirit of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A pin, comprising: a body having a socket therein and a groove extending from said socket to an edge of the body, a wire clip having a U- bend fitted to said body so that the U-bend straddles the edge thereof, a leg extending from said U-bend and lying in the groove, a horn on said leg and inserted in said socket, a pointed second leg extending from said U-bend in opposition to the first mentioned leg.

2. A pin, comprising: a body having a socket therein and a groove extending from said socket to an edge of the body, said body having a groove parallel to said first mentioned groove on an opposed face, a clip having a U-bend and opposed legs extending therefrom, said clip being astraddle the body so that the legs lie in the parallel grooves, a horn on one of said legs inserted in the socket, and a spring pin on the other of said legs tensed toward the bodyand lying contiguous thereto.

3. A pin, comprising: a body having opposed faces, one of said faces having a groove extending from an intermediate point to one edge, said body'having a socket in the groove, its opposed face of said body having a second groove in alignment with the first mentioned groove and extending to the edge of the body from a point intermediate the socket location and theedge, a wire clip having a U-bend and parallel legs extending from said bend, said clip being mounted on said body so that the U-bend straddles the edge of the body and the legs lie in the parallel opposed grooves, a horn on one leg and inserted in the socket, and a pointed spring pin on the other leg tensed toward the body and lying contiguous thereto to be inserted in fabric or the like to retain the body thereon.

MATT WALKER. 

